The Island
by Caitlin51
Summary: Oliver's world was literally in shambles after the earthquake, so he retreated to the sanctity of his island. What if he had required more convincing to return to Starling City? An expanded island scene set during 'City of Heroes,' Olicity slow burn.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello everyone! I have been receiving wonderful support for my Olicity drabble series (Shot Through the Heart), so I decided that I would write an actual story around the pairing. _

_The idea for the story came mostly from Maverick41 - thanks for all your help and hard work with this story =)._

_One note - the beginning of the story will mirror the scenes from "City of Heroes," but it won't be exactly the same, especially with the dialogue. I tried to keep it similar, but this fic will be AU with Oliver staying on the island much longer than in the actual show._

_Also, I own nothing._

_Please review and enjoy!_

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The wind pulled at his body and rustled in the trees, creating a low whistling at the edge of his consciousness. The sound was familiar to him; comforting, even. As was the solitude.

Oliver knew that he was running from his guilt and his pain, but he didn't really know what else to do. Staying in Starling City wasn't an option - he had failed, and the city had paid the price in blood and destruction.

Memories flooded into his mind like a torrent of water from a broken dam, breaking through his mental defenses.

...

_The ground had trembled._

_Buildings had fallen to the ground._

_Screams had echoed through the streets of the Glades as frantic people had run, trying to escape the inevitable._

_And he hadn't been able to stop it._

_..._

Shaking his head, Oliver scowled. He hated remembering the destruction of his beloved city, especially since all of it was his fault.

Grinding his teeth, he turned and took off through the forest, the leafy branches brushing against his bare chest and leaving a brief stinging sensation.

Running felt good - he could leave his thoughts and his problems behind him and become one with the forest. He kept his breathing steady and even, each inhale and exhale matching one of his strides.

His worries faded in his exertion, leaving him more at peace, at least for the moment.

Then an unexpected, yet familiar sound shattered his world.

Slowly his headlong run, Oliver looked up into the clear blue sky and saw what he both dreaded and hoped - an airplane heading right towards the island.

"Oh, Felicity," he muttered under his breath, unable to keep a slight smile from his lips - the first smile he remembered since he had exiled himself to the island. He had always known that she and Diggle would come find him eventually - it had only been a matter of time.

Then, his smile faded. _I can't let her stay_, he thought, pushing a branch out of his way with much more force than was needed. He heard it snap, but didn't care. _And I can't go back._ Suddenly, he was irrationally angry. Angry at his past, angry at everything that had happened that had led him here, to an emotional place where he couldn't be good enough for Felicity.

Memories of her appeared in his mind, thoughts of the times she had been there when he had needed her.

The times she had looked into various cases for him, such as the bullet-ridden laptop and the syringe filled with Vertigo without complaints.

The time when she had saved his life.

The times when she had stopped him from descending completely into his rage.

Storming through the forest towards the beach, Oliver shook off the memories and prepared himself for what lay ahead. He had to be strong, be tough enough to protect her.

Setting his shoulders determinedly, Oliver vowed to keep her from getting any closer to him - that was the only way to keep her safe.

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_Please review! Reviews inspire me to update!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Okay, so we are still following the episode in this chapter (hopefully I got all the dialogue right!). Anyway, I promise it will branch out soon in chapter 3 or 4. _

_Also, I can't post this chapter without mentioning my wonderful beta, Maverick41. Thanks for fixing all the little errors and improving my writing!_

_Please enjoy and review =)._

* * *

"Hold yourself together," Felicity muttered to herself under her breath, her hands curled into fists so tight that her knuckles turned white.

Neither Diggle nor the pilot next to her heard her over the sound of the roaring wind and the noisy engines of the rickety aircraft. She appreciated that. While she was okay with both of them knowing that she was uncomfortable, she wasn't thrilled with the idea of Diggle knowing that she was falling apart.

Apparently, despite her attempt to hide some of her fear, Diggle could tell that she was terrified. He asked, leaning forward, "Felicity, if you're so scared, why'd you insist on sitting up front?"

"It's the only seat with a seatbelt," she yelled back. Her voice trembled and the remark was delivered without her usual brand of humour. She swallowed heavily and reminded herself again that Oliver was worth anything.

"Which won't come in handy when we hit the water at 180 miles an hour."

"What?" Felicity's blood froze in her veins and she looked back at him, trying to tell if he was serious or if he was just trying to make her even more nervous. The seatbelt stopped her from twisting too far, but in her limited vision, Diggle didn't look like he was joking.

"Which will not happen," he added after a pause.

Felicity just clamped down on her acerbic reply and focused instead on keeping her lunch down - a difficult task, considering how bumpy their flight was. She was convinced that the day was going to end with a crash landing into the ocean if they were lucky and weren't shot down by hostile forces first. Were there any hostile forces around here still? Felicity wasn't sure, but she was nervous of the possibility anyway.

The sound of the pilot speaking into his headset distracted her from her depressing thoughts. It wasn't English, but she was able to guess at what he was saying - they had arrived.

"I think that means we are here," Diggle leaned forward again and commented, somehow still sounding calm despite their possible imminent demise.

"Lian Yu," she muttered, trying to keep a rein on her fear. Amidst the terror, though, there was another feeling. Almost a fluttering. It was the feeling that always appeared in her stomach right before she saw Oliver. She hated that he made her feel like that, but at the same time, she loved him for it.

Felicity suddenly noticed that Diggle hadn't said anything for a couple seconds. Fighting her seatbelt, she turned around to get a better view of the back of the plane. The sight she saw there made all her attempts to be calm fly out the window. "What?" she gasped. "You said the parachutes were just in case."

Diggle looked up from the chute he was preparing and met her gaze levelly. "Yeah, in case we made it here." He stood with the chute in his hands, apparently ready. "Come on," he ordered.

"No." Her voice was a squeak. This was much scarier than anything she had ever experienced, and, with the amount of time she spent with Oliver, that was saying something. But heights - heights were Felicity's biggest fear. She had nightmares about things like this, things like jumping out of rickety planes flying over the ocean. Honestly, she wished this was a nightmare instead of reality.

However, somehow she found herself standing next to Diggle, looking down at the miles of empty air and the distant island far below. The roaring wind robbed her of her breath, making it hard for her to think, much less speak. Her mouth was dry with fear.

"Alright Felicity, on three," Diggle shouted in her ear over the sound of the rushing wind.

"I can't do this," she managed to shout, the terror taking control. She couldn't do this. She would do anything for Oliver, but this…

"One!"

She didn't get a chance to finish her thought because Diggle pushed her out of the plane with him on his count.

They were falling.

A scream tore its way out of Felicity's throat, a high-pitched, terrified sound that left her throat feeling raw.

The wind rushed all around her, hitting her skin with such force that she was scared that she would end up as a bloody corpse on the beach of Lian Yu.

The ground rushed up at her at a dizzying pace, making her head spin. She felt sick. If it weren't for Diggle right there with her, she probably would have given in to the immobilizing fear and never have pulled the parachute cord. Luckily, he was there, and in a much healthier frame of mind than she was in.

He pulled the cord. The breath whooshed out of Felicity's lungs in a big rush as she was jerked upwards, their forward momentum slowing drastically.

She thought she heard Diggle say something to her, but the sound was captured by the wind before she could understand what he was saying. She was actually grateful for that, because she was scared that if she opened her mouth to reply, her traitorous stomach might finally give up the contents of her lunch.

After what seemed like an eternity, Felicity's feet touched ground. Well, sand, but close enough. Her legs felt much too wobbly to support her weight, especially on the uncertain surface, so she soon found herself lying on her back in the sand, hoping that the world would stop spinning soon so she could get her stomach under control.

Closing her eyes helped. A little.

Finally, she judged that it was safe to get up and take a look at Oliver's self-imposed prison. Her legs were still a little shaky, but they supported her weight now at least. She stood for a second, breathing deeply.

Then, her poor stomach had had enough.

She wiped her mouth, still tasting the bile on her tongue and trying not to stare at the contents of her stomach now splattered over the sand. Surprisingly, she felt much better now.

"Thanks for waiting until we touched down," Diggle commented from his position a couple feet away. He was busy gathering up their parachute.

"My pleasure," she replied dryly, slowly walking towards him.

"Let's move." He straightened up and pointed towards the tree line, not too far away.

Oliver was in there, somewhere. The butterflies returned to Felicity's stomach at the thought of seeing him after such a long time of searching, hoping, and praying to find him.

They started off down the beach. Something caught Felicity's eye as they walked - it was an orange and black mask mounted on a wooden stake. However, the thing that really attracted her attention was the sight of the arrow protruding from the mask's eyes. It made her shiver, but also gave her reassurance that they were definitely in the right place.

A question tugged at the back of her mind, one that she didn't really want to dwell on. What exactly had happened to Oliver on this island?

...

The forest was actually quite pretty, Felicity reflected as they walked. The abundance of undergrowth, like ferns and moss, displayed every colour of green imaginable.

"Shush," Diggle whispered tensely, holding up a hand to stop Felicity. She obeyed immediately, trusting his senses above her own.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, all her nerves on edge. The forest wasn't silent, but all the sounds were familiar - birds, wind rustling branches, etc. Nothing out of the ordinary, at least to Felicity's untrained ears.

"Thought I heard something." They both looked around, but nothing caught their eye.

In silent agreement, they both started forward again. Felicity had hardly even moved before she heard a loud 'click' and felt the ground depress slightly under her foot. "Dig?" she breathed, her heart constricting in her chest.

"Don't move," he ordered immediately, his eyes alert with concern.

"Okay," she agreed. Not that she was planning on moving anyway.

He pulled out a knife and slowly knelt down to inspect what she had stepped on. "It's a landmine," he finally concluded, his voice tight.

She couldn't prevent her sharp intake of breath. Great. She had survived jumping out of a plane only to be blown to pieces by a landmine?

"I'm going to try to disarm it."

Felicity tried frantically to get her mouth to work, to tell him that he should run and not risk getting himself killed as well, but a familiar voice interrupted her before she could form the words.

"You can't." The words echoed around the forest.

Hope bubbled up in Felicity at the welcome sound. _Oliver. _ This instance just reminded her again how much she had missed him and how much she appreciated his uncanny ability to rescue her every time she was in danger. Most of the time it was his fault, but still, he always came for her. She started wildly looking around, searching for a glimpse of him.

"Diggle, back away."

Felicity finally caught sight of him. He was high up in the branches of a tree, his quiver slung over his back and his bow drawn. He was also shirtless, which Felicity noticed and admired, despite the landmine under her waiting to take her life.

"Felicity, don't move."

She nodded in reply, not yet trusting her voice. Not moving was good - Oliver would save her. Watching him intently, she wondered at his plan. How was he going to save her life without blowing them all up?

The answer came quickly. Oliver tilted his bow up and let loose the arrow. It sprung from the string and moved in an arc over her head, trailing a long rope behind. She missed where it landed, but she heard a thunk.

What happened next was just a blur to Felicity. She saw Oliver jump, one muscular arm holding onto the rope, the other slightly away from his side, ready to grab her.

There was an explosion. It wasn't her, thankfully.

Oliver was lying on top of her, his bare chest pressed up against her body. She became hyperaware of every one of her breaths, synched to his. She felt her cheeks heat. "You're really sweaty," she managed to say, then immediately wanted to hit herself.

_You could have said, 'thank you,' _she told herself, exasperated and still very aware of Oliver's weight on top of hers. _Or 'hi,' or even 'Wow, you look great.' But no, you picked 'sweaty.' Great job, Felicity._

"You're a hard man to find," Diggle commented. Felicity looked over and saw that he was also lying on the ground, apparently unscathed from the explosion.

Oliver's voice was sad and his expression troubled as he replied. "You shouldn't have come here."

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_Please please please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited, or reviewed - I always appreciate the support! The end of this chapter is where things start to branch out, so let me know what you think._

_Also, thanks again Maverick41 - your comments and suggestions are always wonderful =)._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Oliver walked into his island 'home,' both Felicity and Diggle following him. He had told them not to, but those two never listened to him. He hadn't really expected them to, but it was worth a try. Silently, he put down his quiver and bow. His back was to them and he took the opportunity of quasi-solitude to shut his eyes and wish that there was another way, that he could go back to Starling City with them.

He wanted to be the person that they thought he was. Felicity, especially, somehow always saw so much good in him even when he was convinced that there was none left. This time, however, it wouldn't make a difference. Whether or not he was a good person, too much death and destruction followed him. He couldn't go back and put them in danger again. He had already hurt too many people with his choice of lifestyle and he didn't know if he could handle it if they were the next to pay the price.

"Would've emailed, but this isn't exactly a wifi hotspot," Diggle commented. Oliver turned to see the man eyeing his dwelling curiously. He had to fight a smile at Digg's comment - he couldn't let them see how easily they brought his barriers down.

"Is this where you lived when you were here?" Felicity's voice was incredulous. "I mean, the first time you were here," she corrected herself. He could imagine what she was thinking - how could Oliver Queen, or the Hood for that matter, possibly want to live here again? No luxury, no electronics…

"For some of it," he answered, grabbing his shirt and putting it on. The feel of the fabric against his skin reminded him of how it had felt to hold Felicity against his bare chest, her scent clouding his mind. He had been so close to letting go of his rules and kissing her, but self-control had won out.

Why did she have to step on that mine? He had been content with watching their progress through the forest, confident that they would never find him. It would have only been a matter of time before they gave up and went home. But then he had heard the familiar click that always made his blood run cold. At that point, he had had no choice - he couldn't let Felicity die. That would never be an option.

"Could you at least pretend that you're glad to see us?" Felicity's irritated tone broke into his thoughts. She looked upset, and for good reason. "I mean," she continued, "Digg and I spent weeks tracking you down. We've traveled halfway across the world, and, this morning, we flew in a plane so old I'm pretty sure I was safer once I jumped out of it."

Oliver suppressed a smile. He didn't want to admit, even to himself, that he had missed Felicity and her ability to always cheer him up.

"You could, at least, offer us a water," she added, then paused. "Or...coconut."

He turned around so that she couldn't see the involuntary twitch of his lips and then moved to a box behind him. The movement was useful for hiding what he felt. He opened the chest and pulled out a bottle full of water. "Fresh out of coconuts," he said dryly as he walked over to her and handed her the bottle.

The look of vulnerability on her face stabbed at his heart. Before he could stop himself, he put one hand on her shoulder and said quietly, "I am happy to see you." Her eyes, so close to him, lit up as she smiled. Despite his best efforts, he did too.

"But," he continued, stepping back before he did something that he would regret, "I know why you're here. I'm not coming back to Starling City. I can't." He cleared his throat to dispel the lump that was forming. "My mission, my father's list. It was a fool's crusade, and I failed. Malcolm Merlyn destroyed the glades. Tommy died." His voice broke as he thought of his friend that he had been unable to save. The look of concern on his friend's faces also didn't help. "And the hood couldn't stop it." He shook his head, trying to shake off the memories. "So don't ask me to put it on again. Ever."

"This isn't about you being the vigilante. This is about you being Oliver Queen," Diggle spoke up. "Your mother's in prison, Oliver. Her trial's coming up. Thea's out on her own. Your family needs you."

"They are better off without me," Oliver responded, refusing to meet their eyes. "All I can do is make their lives worse." His heart ached for Thea - she was much too young to deserve all this hardship in her life. And, even though he felt betrayed by his mother, he still didn't want her to be locked up for the rest of her life.

"Oliver," Felicity said softly, "You can't believe that?" It was phrased like a question, but he didn't answer. Couldn't answer.

After a long pause, Felicity tried a different approach. "The family business needs you too. All the bad press after the Undertaking left Queen Consolidated ripe for a hostile takeover from…"

"It doesn't matter," he burst out, cutting her off. "I don't care about the business. People died, Felicity."

She shrank back from his sharp, loud tone, but then her hands balled into fists and she stared him down. "30,000 employees are going to be out of a job. Including one very blonde IT expert," she argued hotly. "Is that what you want?"

"Listen," Diggle stepped in, his voice calmer. He was obviously trying to defuse the tension between them. "I get why you have to leave, Oliver, probably better than anybody else. I've been there." He walked closer, placing his body in between them. "And after what happened, nobody can blame you for leaving."

Oliver closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. The anger and hurt boiling up inside him began to cool down and he started to feel more in control of his emotions again.

"But it's time to come home," Diggle finished, hoping that Oliver was able to listen to reason again.

"I wish I could, Digg," Oliver said hoarsely. "But that's no longer an option." He turned away, not wanting to see the twin pained expressions on his friend's faces. "You both should go."

"Oliver," Felicity pleaded.

"Now," he roared, still not turning around. He knew that one sight of her would make his resolve crumble and he had to get her to leave before it was too late. For her own good.

There was silence behind him, then finally the sound of retreating footsteps. He was alone to wallow in his punishment.

* * *

_So I changed the ending and a couple other parts, but from now on, we are no longer following the episode =)._

_Please leave a review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks to all of you who reviewed last chapter and especially to YouWillNeverKnowMyNameForSure for encouraging me to keep at it! I hope that this chapter lives up to expectations =)._

_As always, Maverick41 is a fabulous beta for helping me fix up this chapter._

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"We'll keep trying, Felicity." Diggle patted her soothingly on the back. "He'll see reason."

Felicity raised her head from her hands and looked at him. "Thanks, Digg." She didn't know if she believed him, but she appreciated his efforts to cheer her up.

They were sitting next to each other on a log a couple yards away from Oliver's camp, trying to decide what to do next. They knew that Oliver wouldn't leave them out there for too long, especially as it was getting late and soon would be dark. Who knew what kind of predators were living on the island? It was a chilling thought.

Felicity wished that her pride would let her go back and talk to Oliver. The island made her nervous and she could use his comforting presence nearby. However, she was still stung that he had kicked her out, especially when she was just trying to help and to talk some sense into him.

She sniffed a couple times and buried her face in her hands again. "Just what can we do now, Digg? You and I both know how stubborn he can be." She felt so despondent. After all she had been through to get here, she had expected a vastly different welcome. Something, well, more welcoming.

"It will be okay," Diggle promised again.

Felicity just groaned. For once, her usual optimism seemed to be failing her. She had thought that she and Oliver had a connection, that he would have listened to her. But she was obviously wrong about them. For the first time, she felt like giving up. She had spent five months tracking him down only to discover that he hadn't wanted to be found, even by her.

"Felicity?" Diggle's voice was full of concern. "Are you okay?"

She realized that she had been sitting there for a while in silence, just staring at the forest floor. "Yeah." The word sounded hollow even to her ears. "I'm just ready to go home."

Diggle sighed. "Look at me." It was an order, and she automatically responded to his authoritative tone by raising her head to meet his eyes. "This isn't _you,_ Felicity. You're the optimistic one, the one that holds this team together." He gestured towards Oliver's camp. "And even though he won't admit it, he needs you. He needs you to get him out of here and home to his family."

"He won't let me help." Felicity knew that she was whining, but she wanted a moment to indulge her doubts.

"Not yet." Diggle smiled encouragingly. "But you two have something special. He'll listen." He said it with so much confidence that Felicity couldn't help but believe him.

Wiping her damp cheeks, Felicity told herself that enough was enough. She was going to convince Oliver that she was right. "Okay. Right. I can do this. Pulling myself together right now."

Diggle laughed and nudged her affectionately. "That's the Felicity I know."

She gave him a watery smile. "It's time to give Oliver Queen a piece of my mind."

...

Felicity stormed back into Oliver's camp, bristling with indignation. She was tired of him abandoning the people he cared about, and it was time to tell him that. He was sitting on the ground fletching an arrow, but he looked up from his project as she entered.

"Fel…"

"No." She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I'm talking."

He nodded, but scowled. Obviously, he didn't like the situation.

"You have no right to yell at me. I don't care what has happened to you, that's not how you treat a friend who has poured their soul into finding you for the last five months and risked their life getting here." Her voice was rising with every word until she was almost yelling at him. She was just so angry that he was throwing everything he had worked so hard to become away because of a setback that wasn't his fault. Returning her voice to a normal level, she added, "I deserve better." That statement was not added to make him feel guilty. Instead, she was hoping that it would shock or anger him enough to make him truly react.

"I know you do." Oliver's voice was so quiet that she almost didn't hear him.

"What?" Her anger died down in the face of his almost wistful words.

"You do deserve better. You deserve someone who isn't a failure. Someone who doesn't bring death with them everywhere they go."

Felicity walked over and sat beside him. She put a hand on his arm, her brightly painted nails looking strange against his bronzed skin. He tried to pull away, but she wouldn't let him. "You're not a failure, Oliver."

He laughed, but there was no humour in the sound. "How so? Tommy's dead, the Glades was reduced to nothing more than rubble…"

"But you took down criminals. Dangerous ones, saving countless lives." Felicity leaned in and focused intensely on him, trying to make him understand what a hero he was.

"But it didn't matter, did it?" Oliver replied bitterly. "I couldn't stop the destruction when the city truly needed me."

Felicity was silent, sensing that he needed to talk for a bit, to get some things off his chest.

"No matter how hard I try, darkness follows me." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I don't want that for y-..." He hesitated and she could see the turmoil in his eyes. "...everyone I care about."

"Oliver," she breathed his name. "Diggle and I can take care of ourselves. I'm...We're not leaving you. You should know that already."

"It's for your own good."

"I can decide what's good for me." She smiled. "And if I didn't think that you were worth it, believe me, nothing under the sun would have made me jump out of that plane."

That comment made him smile as well - he was aware of her paralyzing fear of heights. "But…"

"No buts. I see good in you, and I'm going to make you see it too."

Oliver frowned, his eyes unfocusing as if he was suddenly lost in thought. "I don't think you can," he said slowly. She could hear the hopelessness in his tone.

"I'm not leaving this island until I do," she stated, a steely hint in her declaration.

He knew better than to argue with her when she used that tone of voice, so he let the matter lie.

…

Later that night, Felicity lay awake. She couldn't sleep. It wasn't only that she was sleeping on the ground next to an incredibly shirtless Oliver and she was extremely aware of his proximity, although that certainly contributed, but it was also that she couldn't stop thinking. She wanted to figure out how to convince Oliver that he was a good guy. A hero, even.

The first step was easy - she needed to connect with him. To get him to drop his defenses and relax. But how?

That question plagued Felicity until she fell asleep.

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_Please review and let me know if you like where I'm going with this!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thanks for all the support now that I'm breaking off from the show! I was nervous, but you all made me feel good about it =)._

_Again, I have to thank __**Maverick41 **__for betaing for me and for making sure that I don't rush anything and __**Lightly Salted Pringles**__ for encouraging me to lengthen my writing and add more details. You guys are both wonderful!_

_Enjoy =)._

* * *

He was being followed, that much was certain. The forest floor was made up of dry sticks, ferns, and packed dirt. As a result, anyone not extremely skilled or familiar with the terrain was going to be heard. Only constant practice ensured that Oliver was able to move through the forest without a sound. Evidently, his pursuer didn't have his training.

For the last ten minutes, he had been trekking through the most difficult parts of the forest, wondering when Diggle would give up and head back to camp. After all, he was positive that it was Digg following him. The man would surely want to improve his own skills by copying Oliver's. Also, Felicity wasn't really the hiking type - bugs and dirt didn't really agree with her. Normally, Oliver wouldn't have minded his friend's company, but this morning, he just wanted to be alone. That's why he was making this hike as difficult on the other man as he could.

Last night had been rough on him. Felicity's words kept haunting him - _I see good in you, and I'm going to make you see it too_. It was not an empty promise, he knew. He had seen the sincerity in her eyes and had heard the truth behind her words. In the couple moments of sleep he had managed to get last night, he had dreamed about that moment, wishing that he was a better man, one who could accept her help and return home with her. However, in his many waking moments as he listened to her steady breathing intermingled with Diggle's snoring, he had decided that he needed to keep her at a distance and eventually she would give up and go back to Starling. The thought of her leaving, of her moving on with her life had caused him a flash of pain, but he had pushed it aside. It would be better for the both of them this way.

Another crunching noise sounded behind him and he sighed. Diggle apparently still hadn't given up. "I know you're there," Oliver called without turning his back or pausing. "Go home." Not waiting to see if his friend had listened or not, he continued his trek through the forest.

"Guess I can't fool you," a voice floated on the wind towards him. He froze. The voice was definitely not Diggle's.

"Felicity," he breathed, his eyes widening. A little part of him said that he should feel guilty for putting her through the most difficult terrain he could find, but he tried rationalized his choice. She had chosen to follow him. That thought still didn't help much with his guilt. A couple of dry twigs cracked beneath him as he pivoted to face her.

She was standing a few steps away now, her hands on her hips and her breathing ragged. Her mouth was partly open to help her gasp in more air and he was amused to notice that her lips were a bright fuchsia. Only Felicity would bring her lipgloss to a deserted island and wear it to go trekking through the forest.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, stepping toward her. "It's not safe out here."

She shrugged, not looking at all repentant. "Oh darn. If I had realized that it wasn't 'safe' out here I'd have gone home."

He ignored her flippant comment. "I'm serious, Felicity. You shouldn't be out here alone."

"I'm not alone," she objected, lifting her chin stubbornly. "You're right there."

Oliver sighed. He knew how determined Felicity could be when she felt that she was right and that he was being stupid. Apparently, this was one of those times. He ground his teeth, weighing his options. Leaving her alone in the forest certainly wasn't one of them. However, taking her with him to his destination violated the rule that he had made for himself - he had to stay away from her. Ideally, he would escort her back to camp and leave her with Diggle, but he suspected that she would fight every inch of the way.

Taking advantage of his silence, Felicity asked with a hopeful smile, "Is there a river or something not salty nearby? I'm filthy. And sweaty. And you probably didn't need to know that..."

Oliver fought a smile. He didn't want to encourage Felicity by letting her see how much she affected him. If she saw through him, his demands to be alone would seem insubstantial. But was keeping her around a little longer such a bad idea?

His inner turmoil must have shown on his face because Felicity stepped forward with a concerned expression and an outstretched hand. "It's okay to let me in, Oliver." Her voice was serious and her eyes pleaded with him to drop his act, to really talk to her.

He pulled away slightly, clenching his teeth to prevent himself from taking her up on her offer.

"Or not," she muttered, snatching her hand back, looking hurt.

It pained Oliver to see her so disappointed. Knowing that he was the cause just made it worse. He huffed out a frustrated breath, wishing that he was strong enough to resist her. It was hopeless. "There's one not too far," he finally said reluctantly.

Her hurt expression changed to one of confusion.

"A river," he clarified. "And there's a calm pool where you can wash up a bit."

Immediately, he was rewarded with a huge grin. "No more trying to lose me," she teased, falling into step beside him, her eyes sparkling.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He kept his face blank so when she looked up at him she didn't see any sign of the affection behind his comment.

…

"This feels _so_ good," Felicity sighed in delight, feeling the cool water surround her and wash away the sweat and grime from her skin.

She thought she heard Oliver chuckle next to her, but when she looked at him, he was stone-faced once again.

Shrugging to herself, Felicity took the glasses off her face and held them for Oliver to hold. He looked like he was about to say something, but then changed his mind and took them from her anyway. Smiling in thanks, she waded out a little deeper in the natural pool and submerged herself completely, clothes and all, in the water. She felt strands of her hair drift around her face and remembered that it was still constrained by her hair elastic. In a quick motion, she yanked it out, freeing her hair and ignoring the pricks of pain from where she had torn out individual strands. It felt nice to let it down and to clean it as best she could without shampoo.

Finally, she rose out of the water, trying to comb back the wild locks from her face with her fingers while she walked back to where Oliver was standing, with what she hoped was a smile on his face. Without her glasses, though, she couldn't be sure if it was reality or just wishful thinking.

"Careful," Oliver warned as she neared. "Ground's rocky."

She rolled her eyes. Sure, the world was a blur without her glasses, but she had managed well enough. However, her next step landed on a large rock that, with her weight on top of it, started rolling. The momentum sent her falling forward. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact of the rocky riverbed.

An arm grabbed her around the waist and her descent abruptly stopped. Opening her eyes, Felicity found herself staring directly at Oliver's muscular, flexed shoulder. She felt spots of red rise to her cheeks. Proximity to a shirtless Oliver always brought colour to her face, falling right after he had warned her to be careful just exacerbated her embarrassment.

"You okay?" Oliver asked, making sure that she had her balance before he moved his arm from her waist.

She took a deep breath, banning all thoughts about Oliver's muscles from her mind before she spoke. "Yeah. Sorry. My glasses?" Belatedly, she realized that he had been holding them. If they had broken, she didn't know what she would do.

"Completely fine," he held them up for her inspection. "Despite your best efforts."

She laughed in embarrassment and took them from him. It was a relief to have everything come back into focus. "You're wet," she stated, taken aback at the sight of the water droplets dripping off his chest. For a brief second, she envied the water and wondered what it would be like to run her hands down his chest, trailing down the same paths the droplets took.

He smiled. A real smile. "I know. There's this blonde who just can't keep her wet hands off me."

For a second, Felicity stared at him, surprised. Then she smiled as well, which quickly turned into a laugh. Oliver had smiled for real, and it was because of her. Even being stuck on this island couldn't ruin her mood now.

...

"I'm asking you as a friend, Digg," Oliver pleaded quietly, trying to make sure that Felicity couldn't overhear their conversation. They had returned to camp, both their clothes still damp just an hour earlier, and now he was trying to convince his friend to take Felicity off the island and back to her life.

"It's none of my business, Oliver." Digg stirred their small fire with a stick. "I'm just here to try and convince you to come back to Starling."

Oliver groaned. "I know, but I can't go back." He was tired of both of them telling him that the city needed him. If he had been able to protect the city in the first place, the Undertaking never would have happened and the city wouldn't be in shambles.

"You know I don't believe that, and neither does Felicity. We're not giving up on you, Oliver."

"But if you just talk to her...she might listen to you."

Diggle chuckled. "She's not leaving, Oliver. Not without you."

Without another word, Oliver stood and paced towards the dark forest. Once within their shadowy confines, he slumped against a tall tree, feeling the rough bark catch at his shirt.

Felicity had to go. So did Diggle, but the man was far less dangerous than the blonde. He had been doing reasonably well, right up until they had gone wading in that pool. He knew that he had made a mistake the second she had emerged from the water, dripping wet, her sodden clothes clinging to every curve the way he wished he could. And her hair, released from its normal ponytail, had tumbled around her face in damp waves, just begging to be caressed. The sight had nearly made him lose control of all his carefully constructed defences. And then, to top it all off, she had tripped. Before he even realized what he was doing, Oliver had reached out and caught her, steadying her against his body.

Her laugh had quickly pierced the barrier around his feelings, and had made his heart, which he desperately tried to keep hidden from her, beat more quickly. As she had eyed him appreciatively, (although she probably didn't realize she was doing it), a warmth spread through his body, waking up something primal and wild inside of himself. In the end, he couldn't resist saying something that guaranteed hearing that sweet sound once more.

He could feel her slowly making herself a home inside his heart, and that worried him. A lot. Because if anyone could, it would be her.

* * *

_Please please please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Again, thank you to everyone who is favouriting, following, and reviewing! I love hearing all your thoughts =)._

_Also, I have to thank __**Maverick41 **__again for helping each chapter be that much better._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

It was now her third day on the island, and, once again, the sun had woken her up. The sleeping arrangements didn't take into account the bright light of the rising sun, obviously.

Attempting to get up despite the early hour, Felicity groaned in pain as every single one of her stiff muscles protested the movement by spasming. Sleeping on the ground didn't do her body any favours.

Without a mirror, Felicity couldn't tell how bad her morning hair was, but she assumed it was atrocious judging by its sheer volume. Even putting it into a ponytail was more difficult than usual; the tangles caught her hand as she tried to comb the blonde mess back with her fingers. The result was a thick, messy ponytail instead of her usual sleek style. But it was the best she could do in the forest, and Felicity resigned herself to accepting that it was just going to get worse.

"Good morning," Diggle greeted her with an easy smile as she walked out of their shelter. He was sitting on a log that he must have dragged in from the forest - it hadn't been there last night In his hands was a can of something. She noticed with some resentment that he looked perfectly fine - having almost no hair made it so easy for him. "Breakfast?" he held out the can towards her.

She shook her head, still too sleepy to think of food. "No thanks," she yawned. "Oliver escaped again?" There was no sign of him near their camp.

Diggle chuckled and returned to his breakfast. "Not exactly. Went that way, said he'd be back soon." He pointed towards the forest behind him.

"I'll go find him," Felicity decided. After what had happened yesterday at the river pool, she wanted more time alone with him, time to see if she could get him to let down his guard again. And, if she was being completely honest, she had liked the way he had looked at her when he thought she wasn't paying attention, just before she had given her glasses to him. It was a combination of longing and heat, the intensity of both emotions surprising her. She had never expected to see either in his eyes while looking at her, but the thought of the smoldering glances he had shot her still made her blush.

"Just be safe and stay within yelling distance," Diggle cautioned. "I don't want you getting lost. Or worse." She didn't have to ask what he meant. Memories of standing on that land mine, her life flashing before her eyes and paralyzing fear immobilizing her, were impossible to forget.

"Of course." With a nod at Digg, she headed towards the trees in the direction he had indicated.

...

"Oliver?" she called again. Still no answer. She had been walking for a couple minutes through the lush forest and had yet to receive a response to her cries. Being alone amongst the trees didn't bother her as much as she had thought it would. Actually, she was enjoying the peace. It was the first time she could remember where she was free of all responsibilities and could just relax. Well, as much as she could relax on a dangerous island. But still, the forest held a sort of serenity, the silence only broken by the sound of her voice calling for Oliver.  
"Watch out," a voice cautioned, but the warning came too late. A tangled root caught her foot and sent her sprawling in the dirt, her hands catching her from falling face first.

Groaning, Felicity contemplated just staying on the ground and not facing the humiliation of seeing Oliver while she was covered in dirt because she was incapable of walking without falling over. However, that wasn't really a viable option. Scrambling to her feet, she brushed the dirt off her arms, legs, and clothing the as well as she could, then scanned the forest in hopes of spotting him. Nothing.

"Oliver?" There was a bit of exasperation in her tone mingling with her embarrassment. Knowing him, he was probably up in a ridiculously high tree somewhere. And shirtless.

"Look up," he advised from somewhere above her.

Rolling her eyes, Felicity raised her gaze to the trees and quickly found him sitting comfortably on a branch high up, watching her. Shirtless. "You really have a thing for climbing...trees…" she said lamely, trying to distract herself from staring at him.

He shrugged. "I like to watch the sun rise - it's a better view up here." Pausing, he ran his eyes along the trunk of the tree, then looked at her. "Want to come up? It's not a bad climb. I'll help you."

Before he had even finished talking, Felicity's eyes had widened in horror. "Me? Oh no. No no no." The thought of Oliver helping her climb was appealing; she knew how great it felt to have his bare chest pressed against her, his muscles flexing in all sorts of interesting ways. However, not even that was worth a fall to certain death.

Oliver shot her that crooked grin of his that always made it hard for her to breathe. "You're missing out."

"Fear of heights, remember? That," she pointed at the massive tree, "more than qualifies."

Ignoring whatever he was about to say next, she continued, "And can you come down? I'm getting a kink in my neck just talking to you."

"Yeah." He stood on the branch and walked over to the big trunk with barely a wobble, his arms outstretched. Felicity's head spun at the sight of him balanced so precariously on a thin piece of wood. But then that, and all other thoughts, fled as she watched him descend.

"Wow," she breathed as he swung down from branch to branch without any effort, his back muscles rippling with his easy, controlled movements under his tanned skin.

"What?" He looked sincerely puzzled as he jumped the last couple feet to the ground in front of her, squatting slightly to maintain his balance on the uneven terrain.

A blush heated her cheeks. "It's just...your muscles…" Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open in horror. She couldn't possible have just said that. Oliver was staring at her with thinly-veiled amusement as her traitorous mouth kept going, trying desperately to make the situation less awkward. "They're really _really_ impressive and it must be a lot of work to keep them that way. Lots of working out." Felicity knew that she was rambling and that she should stop, but somehow she just couldn't. "And climbing trees, I guess, but I think I could skip the climbing part. I always hated climbing in gym as a kid - those ropes were so scratchy on my hands and…"

"Felicity," Oliver cut her off, his voice low.

"Sorry," she grimaced.

There was a moment of awkward silence in which Felicity had nothing better to do than notice how close he was standing next to her and how he smelled like a unique blend of pine and his own personal scent. It was tempting to just breathe him in, but she knew that that was a bad idea. The scent was too masculine and overwhelming.

"I'll walk you back to camp," he offered, breaking into her thoughts.

She nodded her head, tearing her eyes off his chest. "Yeah."

...

"Will you train me? To fight? Or at least to defend myself?"

Oliver looked at Felicity walking next to him in surprise. She was looking at him as well, a couple streaks of dirt on her cheek. His fingers twitched, nearly flying up to brush them off her face, but he stilled them before they could move. Touching her was a bad idea. Instead, he dodged her question with one of his own. "Isn't Diggle training you?"

"He is," she admitted, "but he thought that I should work with both of you. Or alternate or something, so I learn different styles. And then he said something about you both having different strengths and weaknesses."

Two thoughts ran through Oliver's head at the prospect of training her, and neither made training her sound like a good idea. The first was that he was afraid he would hurt her. Every bruise he gave her would torment him and would prove to him that he was right - everyone close to him gets hurt. The second thought was that being close to her, her body pressed up against his, would be a test of his self-control. A test that it was likely he would fail, eventually. Slowly, he would give into the temptation to caress her, kiss her, say things that he couldn't say.

"No." His voice was harsher than he had intended, fueled by the emotion in his thoughts.

Her face fell, her hopeful smile dissolving at his refusal. "Why not? I can take it."

"This isn't a discussion, Felicity. I said 'no.'" He fixed his gaze on the ground so that he wouldn't have to keep looking at the disappointment in her eyes.

He heard her take a deep breath and let it out slowly. It surprised him that she wasn't going to be more insistent that he train her; normally, she wouldn't take no for an answer. Not that he was complaining, though. There was no good way to explain his reservations to her in a way that she would understand and accept.

"Sooo," she lengthened the word, "What about archery? Because you haven't rejected that one yet, and I know that I'm not great with sharp pointy objects, but I think if…"

Oliver felt a smile tug his lips upwards as she continued talking. Teaching her to shoot his bow was out of the question as well, but he still enjoyed listening to her enthusiasm.

…

"...and then I told her that I quit," Felicity finished her story, her eyes bright with laughter and her hair shining in the firelight. She had finally let it down, and it hung in messy waves past her shoulder. Oliver thought privately that she had never looked so relaxed and beautiful as she did now with untreated hair, no make-up, and dirt smudges on her face. She was one of those women who had a natural beauty and didn't need a bunch of products.

Diggle laughed and Oliver smiled, unable to stop himself from joining in.

"Needless to say," she grinned, "I didn't hear from her again."

"Her loss," Oliver commented, meeting her gaze across the fire.

She smiled back. "Yeah, it was. I was her best IT expert." She wasn't boasting, she was just stating a fact. A fact that they all knew to be true. Felicity was remarkable. "But," she continued, "that terrible experience led me to Queen Consolidated and to you guys."

"And we're both sure glad you joined us," Diggle commented, a fond look gracing his features.

"Me too." She was replying to Diggle's comment, but her gaze was fixated directly on Oliver. "I don't know what I would do without you two."

Her meaning came across loud and clear - come back to Starling. At times like these, when he was with Diggle and Felicity, he had to remind himself why he couldn't go back. The Glades. Tommy. His mother. Just three of the reasons why he had exiled himself here.

However, for the first time since arriving on the island, a part of him began to wonder if there would be a time when he could go back, when he could resume his life.

He glanced at Felicity, chatting animatedly with Digg.

When he could be worthy of someone's love.

* * *

_Please review!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Okay, I have a question for all you readers out there - Do you feel like the story and the Olicity relationship is progressing well? I want to make sure that you all are still enjoying it!_

_As always, __**Maverick41**__ is doing a wonderful job at betaing and helping improve my writing._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"So you'll train me, right? To live on the island?" Felicity huffed, trying to keep up with Oliver's fast pace. "Since we're obviously never leaving."

Although she couldn't see his face, she was pretty sure that his expression would be closed off and unwilling to listen. They had been having versions of this conversation for the past twenty-four hours and none of them had swayed him in his decision. However, his refusals to listen didn't deter Felicity from her goal - to get Oliver to spend quality time connecting with her, and then get him to agree to go back to Starling.

"No, Felicity," he responded, his tone expressionless. She noticed, with a twinge of resentment, that he wasn't even breathing hard.

"But...the poison ivy," she gasped, struggling to take in enough air to talk. Her left calf burned both with exertion and with the effects of the itching plant, which she had stepped in before Oliver had been able to warn her. "If you taught me about the island, I'd have known better."

There was silence from Oliver for a second as he faltered and slowed. "I'm sorry about that, Felicity," he said sincerely, still not facing her. "I should've noticed it earlier."

Felicity rolled her eyes in exasperation. Oliver had this crazy notion that everything was his fault, even things completely out of his control. Like her stupid foray into the patch of poison ivy earlier that morning.

Her lower left leg felt like it was on fire, and Felicity was finally forced to stop and rest, fighting the urge to scratch all the time.

Oliver continued a couple steps, then stopped when he realized that she was no longer following him. "Are you okay?" he looked back, his concern for her evident in his gaze.

"Yeah," she lied through her teeth. "Just need a break."

In a flash, he was by her side, his hand gently touching her arm. "It's your leg." It was a statement more than a question.

"No, Oliver, I'm fine," she protested as he bent down to take a better look at her rash. However, her comment was negated by her wince as he carefully stroked the affected area with the tip of his finger.

"I have some island herbs back at the camp." In one smooth motion, he scooped her up in his arms like she weighed no more than a child and held her against his muscled chest. "They'll soothe the rash."

Biting her lip, Felicity just nodded, her protests dying before she could utter them. Although Oliver had held her before, nearly every other instance had involved some sort of mortal danger. This time, for a change, she could just enjoy the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her and the sense of security that he always exuded.

"Comfortable?" he asked, starting towards camp. She could feel his words echoing through his diaphragm, making her shiver in appreciation. His voice had a magical effect on her.

Clearing her throat, Felicity responded, "Really comfortable. But you know that you don't have to carry me, right? I'm perfectly capable of walking myself. Not that I particularly want to, don't get me wrong, this is _really_ nice." Her face heated up and she hastily tried to fix her comments. "I mean, what you're doing to me is really nice. For me. I meant, for me." Felicity snapped her mouth shut with an audible clicking sound, deciding that it was better to just stop before she made things worse.

She felt Oliver quiver slightly, and she peered up at him suspiciously. Was he laughing? But there was no visible sign of amusement on his chiseled features. "It's fine, Felicity," he reassured her, glancing down at her long enough to flash her a quick grin. "I don't mind."

Content with his reassurance, Felicity leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, breathing in his musky scent with each breath. Her leg didn't bother her nearly as much when she was so preoccupied with every move Oliver made. His distracting presence was better than any medicine.

…

"Digg, can you grab some of the island herbs from the chest in there?" Oliver asked, gesturing with his head as he walked into camp, still clutching Felicity in his arms. "And some water."

"Is she okay?" As he spoke, Diggle jumped up from his seat where he had been roasting some type of bird over the fire and hurried into the shelter to get the herbs.

"She'll be fine," Oliver called after his friend. "She stepped in some poison ivy earlier and her leg's developing a nasty rash."

"Really, you're making way too big a deal of this," Felicity mumbled against his shoulder. Her hot breath brushed against his neck and he had to pause for a moment to make sure that he was in complete control before he trusted himself to respond.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you." He grimaced as he corrected himself. "Anything worse than a little rash." Gently, he released his hold on her until she was standing on the ground next to him. However, he couldn't resist keeping one hand on the small of her back. He told himself that it was just there for support in case she wobbled, but deep down, he knew that he just liked the sensation of touching her when she was in his arms and he was having trouble relinquishing the contact.

"Know what would make you feel better?" she grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling with humour.

"I'm scared to ask."

"If you taught me and trained me...then I would be able to take care of myself on the island and back in Starling. Then you wouldn't have to worry."

Oliver pursued his lips together, but was saved from responding by Diggle's reappearance, the packet of dried herbs in his hand.

"Found them," the man tossed the pouch and Oliver caught it easily.

"Thanks." Oliver measured out a small amount of the miracle drug into his palm and offered it to Felicity. "Swallow these quickly."

Although he could see the apprehension at his instructions clear in her eyes, she took the herbs and placed them in her mouth in a move that Oliver found strangely alluring. What followed was almost comical as she screwed up her face into a grimace and plugged her nose, all the while trying to make herself swallow. Finally successful, she croaked out, "Water?"

Trying to keep a straight face, Oliver gestured to Digg to give her the water bottle he was holding. She grabbed it and guzzled a mouthful desperately, trying to wash away the bitter taste.

"That's disgusting," she finally commented darkly to the two amused men after finishing half the bottle. "And not funny."

"Not at all," Diggle agreed hastily.

Oliver took the water bottle from her hand and motioned for her to sit down on the log next to the fire.  
"What are you doing?" she asked, but she sat where he indicated.

"Rinsing it off." He knelt next to her and gently laid a hand on the curve of her calf, twisting it so that the worst part of the rash was facing up. Her skin was soft against his fingers and he realized that he was skimming his thumb along the top of her leg absentmindedly, sending tingles up his arm. Mentally reprimanding himself, he focused on trickling a steady stream of water onto the affected area. "It helps to wash as much of the sap off as possible so that it doesn't spread the irritation."

She nodded. "Look at all these skills I could learn if you'd just teach me."

"Poison ivy is the least of the dangers here." Oliver gritted his teeth and stared intently at the stream of water. "I want you to go back to Starling. You don't belong here."

"Neither do you," she pointed out lightly, but he could hear the masked hurt in her voice. It stabbed at his heart.

"This is my punishment," he retorted, feeling his temper rising for no rational reason. "You wouldn't understand."

Her voice matched his increased volume as she shot out of her seat and responded coldly, "Well, maybe if you would talk to me instead of going off to sulk all the time, I would understand! You keep acting like this spoiled brat and pretending that none of your choices affect anyone else, but that's not true. There are people who love you, Oliver; Digg and I are just two of them. Right?" she shot a look at Digg.

Diggle held up his hands. "Not getting involved."

"I'm protecting the people I care about," Oliver roared over Diggle's statement. "And I don't need you, constantly telling me how I'm making the wrong choices. Go back to Starling." Immediately, he knew that he had gone too far as he saw Felicity's eyes fill up with tears behind her glasses. There was no way to take back what he had said, but he wished he could go back and erase the last couple moments. Moderating his tone, he reached out towards her. "Felicity, I-"

"Leave it, Oliver." Her voice was thick as she leaned away from him. "I think I've heard enough." She turned abruptly and started off towards the forest.

"Felicity, where are you going?" Diggle called after her retreating figure.

Her response floated back to them a second later. "I just need some air."

"Be careful," Oliver cautioned, still beating himself up for his insensitive comments. This time, there was no reply.

"That was a jerk move." Diggle brushed past him and headed inside, his mouth forming a disapproving frown.

"I know," Oliver whispered, but Diggle was already out of earshot. He didn't know if he could erase the sight of her hurt expression from his mind; he knew it would haunt him.

…

The sound of Felicity's feet pounded the forest floor, accompanied by her steady shallow breathing. Although the constant motion made her poison ivy rash flare up, that irritation was was the nothing to her emotional pain. She wasn't usually the type to snap like that, but her frustration with Oliver had gotten the better of her and she had voiced her thoughts in probably the worst way possible.

Running was a much more therapeutic way of expressing her pent-up aggression and already it was making her feel better. Calmer.

But, the hurt was still there and nothing could remove the memories of his words from her mind.

_He doesn't need me here. He wants me to leave._

Knowing Oliver's impulsiveness, it was possible that it had been merely his temper talking, but the comments stung Felicity nonetheless.  
The shadows under her feet lengthened, and she realized that it was starting to get dark and she should probably head back to camp unless she wanted to spend the night out in the forest alone.

With a sigh, she angled herself, planning to sweep in a gradual arc until she was facing her destination.

The ground crumbled beneath her, twisting her ankle sharply and throwing her off balance. Her arms windmilled as she tried to regain her footing, but it was too late. In a moment of panicked clarity, Felicity realized that she was falling and automatically covered her head with her arms to offer it some form of protection.

She felt like she was falling forever, but really the sensation only lasted for a heartbeat before she hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of her lungs, and then continued to roll down some kind of rocky hill.

Sharp rocks cut into her skin.

Roots caught and ripped her clothing.

The repeated impacts with the ground pummelled her body.

Finally, the motion stopped and Felicity lay there, groaning and too sore to do more than take a quick inventory of her body to make sure that nothing was broken.

The darkness settled in around her.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Thank you all for the support last chapter! I'm glad to hear that so many of you enjoyed it =). To show my appreciation, I'm releasing this chapter a little early!_

_Of course, __**Maverick41 **__is amazing, as per usual._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"She's been gone a long time, Digg." Oliver's nervous voice shattered the tense silence. "I'm getting worried."

The man glared at him, the shadows from the light of the fire making him look even more troubled. "I know," he finally answered heavily.

"And it's getting dark." Oliver tried to keep the panicked edge out of his voice, but he was sure that it still seeped through. Felicity had been gone for over an hour now, and every second of her absence had been guilt-ridden agony for Oliver. Especially with the onset of night. Clenching his fists, Oliver decided that he had had enough. "I'm going to search for her."

Diggle's eyes hardened, whether in disapproval of Oliver's decision or in continued anger at Oliver for what he had said to Felicity, but he didn't argue. "I'm coming too. It'll be faster if we split up."

Nodding, Oliver pointed towards the copse of trees where they had last seen Felicity. "We'll start there, I'll veer slightly east, you take west. Move in a sweeping pattern so we don't miss anything." Neither of them mentioned what they were both thinking - only luck would help them find Felicity, as it was too dark to see any trace of her path through the forest. However, waiting until morning might very well be too late.

"I know how to scout." The curt reply silenced Oliver.

The two men jogged to the trees Oliver had indicated, then split off.

"Felicity," Oliver yelled loudly, the sudden sound sending small animals scurrying through the bushes around him.

Diggle echoed his call.

Half an hour passed, and the shadows in the forest lengthened. The only light came from the half-full moon overhead, a weak illumination at best. Progress was slow as Oliver was being meticulous in his search, and the process frustrated him since Felicity was somewhere out there, lost, alone, or worse, and he wasn't there to help her.

Constantly, Oliver fought the urge to run on ahead, screaming her name in hopes that his blind rush would find success more quickly. However, he knew that course of action relied too much on luck for him to seriously entertain it. Risking Felicity's life just to find her more quickly was not an option.

"Felicity!" As he did every time he called out, he stopped for a moment and listened for any unnatural sound breaking the silence of the dark forest.

There was a raspy coughing sound next to him, and he whirled, a relieved smile on his lips and his heart rising, ready to see Felicity and apologize for his harsh words. "Felicity, thank-"

Startled by his rapid movement and voice, a young doe bounded out in front of him, wide-eyed, then crashed through the forest in the opposite direction.

His heart sinking, Oliver scrubbed a hand across his bleary eyes, feeling the weight of his guilt crushing him slowly. This was all his fault. If he hadn't been so stupid, so determined to drive her away, she never would have run off. Lian Yu was a dangerous island, even for those prepared to live there. Oliver knew that better than anyone. For someone like Felicity...he didn't even want to think about what could happen to her.

Starting off again, Oliver resumed his pattern of sweeping the area, then calling her name and waiting, hoping for a response. Occasionally, he could hear Diggle's voice echoing through the forest, and the sound dampened his spirit. Digg hadn't found her yet either.

Fear and guilt started to cloud Oliver's judgment, but he ruthlessly pushed them back into a corner of his mind, resolving that they could come out later.

"Felicity?" It was more of a desperate plea this time, encompassing all his regret and fear for his actions and her safety.

"Oliver?" The surprised response echoed up to him.

For a second, Oliver thought that he must have imagined her voice. But then the cry came again and hope flared to life. "Felicity, where are you?" he demanded, closing his eyes so that his ears could focus on pinpointing her location.

"I...I fell. And I don't think I can get out."

Gathering all his breath, Oliver boomed, "Digg! I found her, hurry." Then, directed to Felicity, he asked in a voice rough with worry, "Are you hurt?" Following the sound of her voice, he cautiously walked closer until he could see the steeply sloped sides of Felicity's prison.

"Nothing life-threatening, which is pretty much a miracle for someone who just fell down a ravine." He could hear the pain and fear clear in her voice even despite her attempt to cover them with humour.

"Don't worry, I'm coming down to get you." It was meant to be reassuring, but Oliver realized that she might not want to see him right now, regardless of the situation.

There was a pause. "Not really a good idea. Then both of us will be trapped here."

"I don't care. I'm not leaving you there alone in the dark."

Interrupting their conversation, Diggle puffed up beside Oliver. "She's down there?" In the dim moonlight, Oliver saw his friend gesture towards the chasm in front of them.

"Yeah. I'm going down too."

Quietly, Digg asked, "Oliver, do you think that's a-"

"Good idea?" Oliver finished. "No. But I can't...I did this. I won't let her pay the price, alone and scared." He thought for a second, staring at the steep drop, then reached a decision. "I'm going to go down there and make sure that her injuries don't need immediate help. If we can, I'd like to wait until morning to get her out so that we can take advantage of the sunlight. Besides, we'll both need time to think up a decent plan."

"And if Felicity's injuries are serious?" Digg asked grimly.

"Then I'll need you to run back to camp, get any supplies we might need, and get back here as fast as possible."

For once, Digg just nodded at the order and didn't bother to argue. "Be careful, man," he squeezed Oliver's arm and nodded towards the drop.

"Thanks."

Taking a deep breath, Oliver squatted backwards at the edge of the ravine and slowly began to ease himself down the steep slant. He had a lot of experience in climbing, but unfortunately, the ravine wasn't anything that resembled a climbable surface. It was mostly packed dirt and spindly weeds, which made his descent more of a slow slide where he tried his best to avoid sharp rocks.

There was one point where he felt himself start to fall, but, gritting his teeth, he dug his fingers into the dirt with all his strength. He could feel the strain through his entire body, but he managed to save himself, leaving deep furrows in the bank.

Finally, he felt flat ground beneath his feet. Looking around while he regained his breath, he noticed that the ravine was positioned so that the largest amount of moonlight could reach it, so the lighting actually wasn't too terrible. His searching gaze found Felicity, leaning up against the side of the chasm, staring directly at him.

"Felicity," he breathed, immediately rushing to her side.

She forced a smile, but he could tell that it was a lot of effort on her part. "Thanks for finding me." Those words felt much more sincere than her smile had.

Without thinking, Oliver cupped her face tenderly. "I'm just grateful I got here." He brushed his eyes over her, letting every one of her many cuts fan the fire of his guilt. Most had clotted already, leaving streaks of dark blood mingled with dirt, but there were still a couple oozing fresh red droplets.

Felicity turned her head, breaking the contact. Immediately, Oliver snatched his hand back. He knew it was too much to hope that she would have forgiven him, that she possibly would have understood that he was lashing out at her due to his growing attraction for her and the danger in that attraction. But there had been a part of him, a part that he had ignored, that had hoped for just that.

"What hurts the most?" he asked, failing at keeping the regret out of his voice.

"Physically?" she asked, thin-lipped. "I'm not sure. I think I might have twisted my ankle, though."

"Which one?"

"Same one that got the poison ivy rash. I guess I wanted to keep at least one of my legs functional."

With gentle fingers, Oliver probed the skin around the ankle she had indicated. Her quick intake of breath even to his light touch told him how painful it must be to elicit any reaction from her. "A sprain, I think. Quite a bad one, in my inexperienced opinion."

Felicity groaned. "So I guess we're not getting out of here tonight?"  
"Not a chance." He released her leg and started checking the rest of her body over, inch by inch. If he wasn't so worried about her well-being, he might have realized the intimacy of his act or the blush on Felicity's cheeks. Finding nothing life-threatening, Oliver yelled towards the night sky, "Digg? Come back in the morning - a sprained ankle is the worst of her injuries, so I'd rather not try to move her until morning."

"I'm glad you're okay, Felicity," Digg's relieved voice reached them. "We'll get you out of there as soon as the sun comes up. Be safe."

Oliver scooted over to sit next to her as the sound of Digg's retreating footsteps faded. "Felicity," he finally started heavily, seeing her stiffen at his words. "I owe you an apology."

She was silent.

"I spoke...I spoke without thinking, and for that I'm sorry. It all came out wrong. I...I worry about you, about something happening to you because of me. Like this," he gestured around the ravine ruefully. "And I want you to go back to Starling because it is so much safer than Lian Yu. Please, Felicity, never think I don't care about you," he shifted so that he was looking into her eyes. The compassion he saw there made him feel the need to be vulnerable, to tell this wonderful woman the truth for once. "The truth is that I...I care about you too much. And it's not right for you, because keeping you around me exposes you to constant danger."

Felicity finally spoke up. "I think I can decide what's right for me by myself." There was a bit of an edge to her voice still, but she didn't sound quite as angry as before. "And I want to be with you. Not 'with you' with you," she attempted to clarify, "but with you." Even by the light of the moon, he could see a faint blush staining her cheeks. "Besides," she added with a rueful smile, gesturing around at their situation, "what would I do without you?"

"Not get into these situations in the first place," he answered grimly. He was about to continue when he saw her shiver. "Are you cold?"

"Me, no I'm-," she started to protest, but he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, wrapping his other arm around her too. "Okay, maybe really cold," she admitted, her voice a squeak.

Oliver took a second to appreciate the feeling of her in his arms, soft and delicate against his bulk. "How can I make it up to you?" he asked softly, resisting the urge to rest his face on her unbound hair. "I know I can't take back what I said, but I want to show you that I didn't mean it."

"Hmm," she murmured. "No limits?"

"No limits." Even as he said it, he knew that he was going to regret his decision.

"Train me."

To both of their surprise, Oliver chuckled. "I walked into that one, didn't I?"

"A little bit," she agreed.

"You do realize that you just sprained your ankle," he pointed out, tightening his arm around her as he felt her shiver again.

"There's plenty I can do with a sprained ankle. Diggle's already been training me in hand to hand, but I'd love to learn to shoot a bow or identify dangerous plants or stuff like that."

Oliver quieted, resolving that he would think about it later, when she wasn't distracting him with every tiny movement.

"Only a good person would risk their neck to come find their friend in the middle of the night," Felicity added, so softly he almost didn't hear her. Her hand, lightly resting on his chest, shifted, leaving a trail of heat through his shirt. "The darkness doesn't have to win."

Oliver's jaw tightened, both in response to her words and to the desire heating his blood. "You should get some sleep," he forced out, hoping that would help his untimely libido.

"I'm still mad at you," Felicity yawned, snuggling in closer to his warm chest and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I know," he whispered.

It was only a couple moments before he felt her drift off in his arms. For once, Oliver didn't regret letting down his walls, letting Felicity in. The terror he had experienced when he had thought that she could be dead had changed something in him. Call it selfishness or insanity, but Oliver couldn't keep his distance from her after that scare, if only for a little while. She meant too much to him. The rational part of Oliver's brain told him that this couldn't last, that she would have to go back to civilization and that he couldn't follow, but for now he was going to enjoy the moment and let the future take care of itself.

Gently, careful not to wake her, Oliver leaned his head against her blonde waves and smiled. A real smile of pure, unadulterated happiness.

* * *

_Keep those reviews coming!_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is coming a lot later than I had planned, but I've been crazy busy unpacking and getting ready for the start of school… _

_Anyway, I have to thank __**Maverick41**__ for being an amazing beta for this story and helping me with every chapter. Your comments are invaluable!_

_Enjoy =)._

* * *

Warm sunlight moved across Felicity's face, slowly warming her skin. Against her closed eyelids, she could see the warm glow that promised a nice clear blue sky. However, having just woken, she wasn't quite ready to open her eyes and face the day.

Something shifted against her.

Immediately, all the muscles in Felicity's body tensed, but she didn't move. Instead, she cracked one eye open, her long lashes shielding the worst of the brightness so that she could see. Oliver's chest, well-muscled even through his shirt, rose and fell gently under her arm as he breathed. At first, the sight of him confused her, but then her memories came rushing back and her brief morning disorientation receded, allowing her to remember that she had fallen asleep in Oliver's arms at the bottom of a ravine.

Unfortunately, pain came with those memories. Every inch of her body seemed to be aching, her ankle especially. Oliver had said that he thought she had sprained it in her accident, but she fervently hoped that he was wrong. Mobility was essential if she was going to be able to start training with Oliver like he had finally promised.

"Good morning." The whisper came against her ear, making her shiver. She had thought many times of waking up in Oliver's arms under different circumstances, dreamed of it even, but this was close enough for now.

"How'd you know I was awake?" she mumbled, unconsciously burrowing in closer to him. The sensation of him pressed against her thrilled her. Something this nice couldn't last forever, but she was eager to postpone its ending.

Oliver chuckled. "I felt you."

Heat rose to Felicity's cheeks and she was glad that Oliver couldn't see her face. His comment made it sound like he was just as aware of her as she was of him, but that was impossible. Wasn't it?

"So," Oliver shifted, his arm tightening around her until they were both sitting more upright, "How bad do you feel?"

Regretfully, Felicity moved her head from his shoulder so she could meet his concerned gaze. "Awful," she admitted with a rueful smile. "Everything aches. Is this how you feel after doing vigilante activities all night long? Because it sorta sucks and I don't know how you always manage to pretend that it's nothing."

She watched as Oliver smiled the little half-smile that he always did every time she rambled without realizing it. "I guess I'm just tougher than you," he teased.

"And all those muscles probably don't hurt," she muttered back, only slightly resentfully.

"No, I can't say they do." He dropped his gaze and turned his attention to her injury. "And your ankle?"

"It's not that bad."

Disbelievingly, Oliver leaned forward, removing his arm from around her shoulders so that he could gently move her leg until her ankle rested on his lap. Even that slow movement made Felicity bite her lip as she fought the tears that sprung to her eyes.

"Really?" he asked, arching his eyebrow at her.

Forcing a watery smile, she replied, "Okay, maybe it's a little painful."

With a light touch, Oliver probed the skin of her ankle with his fingertips. "It's swollen." There was a slight frown on his lips. "As soon as Digg comes and we're back at camp, I'd like to wrap it, maybe make a poultice of the island herbs to bring the swelling down."

"Those things really are magic, aren't they?" Felicity asked absently. Her brain was too overloaded with the sensation of Oliver's touch sending tingles up her bruised leg to think clearly. And the fact that her leg was in his lap and the rest of her body was still curled against him didn't really help her thought process either.

"I guess so," he replied distractedly. She wondered if it was for the same reason she was feeling distracted, but even her brain wouldn't let her voice that out loud.

A tense silence settled between them, but not an unbearable tenseness. The attraction between them was palpable, and neither of them knew how to address it.

"You two still alive down there?" Diggle's voice interrupted the strange moment.

"Digg," Oliver's voice was relieved, "we're fine."

"Ready to get out of here though," Felicity added, even though she had mixed feelings on the topic. She and Oliver had shared a personal moment in the ravine, and she didn't know whether she would get that same openness and honesty from him again. However, she didn't really want to sit around in the dirt for the next couple days until he admitted that she was right about everything.

"The ravine flattens out a bit as you head back towards camp," Diggle advised. "It's still going to be a bit of a climb, but at least it's manageable there. Felicity, can you walk?"

Biting her lip, she replied, "Yeah. I'll be fine." She wasn't sure she believed her own affirmation though.

"I brought a tensor bandage, just in case." A small object came flying down into the ravine and landed a couple feet in front of them.

Oliver carefully moved her leg off his lap so that he could retrieve the bandage. "Don't worry," he said softly, just for her to hear as he stood. "I'll make sure that you get out of here okay." His confidence and concern made her feel better about the situation. "But first, I'm gonna wrap that ankle." His hands were steady and sure as he wound the bandage around her injury. Immediately, she could feel a difference - the pain was clearly receding in response to his ministration.

"All done. Ready to stand?" At her nod, he held out his hands for her to grasp and pulled her up, carefully ensuring that she didn't have to put much pressure on the bad ankle.

"So far so good," she gasped, keeping her hand on his arm as she wavered. Without weight on it, her ankle only throbbed a little bit and the pain was manageable.

"Easy does it." He pulled her to his side and wrapped his arm around her waist, stooping so that he was acting as a crutch. With his help, she was able to limp over to the area that Diggle had mentioned, where the cliff wasn't an abrupt edge and was instead a gentler slope. Theoretically, they could walk (or crawl, in Felicity's case) up if they were careful. But it still looked intimidating.

"You guys need a hand?" Diggle stood at the top, looking concerned. Probably because of the look of trepidation he saw on Felicity's face.

Oliver paused and looked down at her swollen ankle, then back up at Diggle. "Couldn't hurt," he finally replied. "Between the two of us, we can probably carry her up without any problems."

"On my way." Diggle carefully half walked, half slid his way down the slope until he reached them, his pant legs now caked in dirt.

He stood on Felicity's other side and put her arm around his neck. The two men straightened up part-way until she was almost suspended between them. There was almost no weight on either of her legs, hurt or no.

The trip up went almost without incident. At one point, Oliver slipped and nearly fell, resulting in Felicity abruptly putting weight on her injured ankle before she could stop herself. Agony shot through her leg like she had just stepped on a bed of hot coals, but once Oliver had recovered his footing, she was able to continue. There was an upside to that particular incident, however. If she leaned into Oliver more, she could pass it off as essential, when really, she would just be reveling in the sensation of being held against him and the sense of safety he exuded. With Oliver around, everything would always be okay.

"You can open your eyes now, Felicity," Oliver's voice sounded amused.  
"Oh." She hadn't realized that she had closed them, but it was true that the sight of the steep slope that they were precariously balanced on had made her nervous. "Right. It's over. Phew."

"Now we just have to get back to camp," Diggle smiled at her encouragingly.

"Great," she muttered under her breath so that neither man could hear her.

...

"Felicity, can we talk?" Oliver approached where she was sitting, her ankle stretched out in front of her, propped up on a log. They had rewrapped it once they were back at camp with stuff from Oliver's emergency medical kit after applying some herbs to help with the swelling. Obviously, he had come much more prepared on his second trip to the island.

"Sure." Her reply came out slightly curt on purpose. Now that she was out of the ravine and safely back in camp, remnants of her hurt from Oliver's words were attempting to resurface, and she wasn't fighting them very hard.

"Can I…?" Oliver pointed at the ground next to her, waiting for her to nod in agreement before he sat down next to her. The spot he chose was close enough that her shoulder brushed against his arm, sending twinges of heat through her body.

She stayed silent. It was up to him to make the first move and to dictate how their friendship was going continue from now on.

Felicity," he started, his voice rough, "Being around me is dangerous. People I care about get hurt." There was a vulnerable quality in Oliver's voice as he gestured to her ankle that Felicity had never heard before, one that made her want to reassure him.

"This didn't happen because of you."

He forced himself to smile as he ignored her claims that he wasn't at fault. "Thanks for saying that, but I'm sorry. Again."

Gritting her teeth against the ache in her limbs as she twisted to face him, she asked hollowly, "Did you mean it? Do you really want me to leave that badly?" Those were the questions that she needed to know the answer to, even though he had kind of addressed them in the ravine. He had told her that it was for her own good that she should return to Starling City, but that wasn't what she needed to hear. There was a difference between wanting her to be safe and wanting her to leave him alone. She had to find out if she was wasting her time or if he felt anything for her remotely similar to what she felt for him.

"No. I didn't mean it." To her surprise, she felt his hand cover hers in a gentle touch as he reassured her again. "I do need you, Felicity. And I want you to stay, but that's something I shouldn't want. For your sake." The words sounded unfamiliar in his mouth, like it was something he wasn't comfortable saying.

Hope blossomed in Felicity's chest and she smiled at him. "I want you too," she whispered back.  
Oliver's amused smile broke the intensity of the moment, and Felicity realized what she had just said. "I want to stay with you, too," she corrected herself, ducking her head. "I mean, on the island, not with you. But by being on the island, I kinda am with you, so…" Giving up her attempt to fix her mistake, she just closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. "Ookay, I'm good now."

Oliver withdrew his hand, and Felicity immediately missed the contact. "I'm glad," he said sincerely. One hand reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle. "So, are you ready to start your training?"

"With that?" she asked, dubiously glancing at the array of leaves and berries in the cloth.

"While you're healing up, I thought we'd start with some of the island's most dangerous plants, so you know what to avoid." He pointed to a leaf with sawed edges. "You should be familiar with that one."

"Poison ivy." She made a face. "Yep."

"This one," Oliver pointed to a stem with flat leaves and black shiny berries, "is probably the most dangerous one. Atropa belladonna, or 'deadly nightshade.' It can be lethal even in small quantities."

Felicity looked at the black berries, committing them to memory. "Okay," she nodded, confident that she would recognize them.

"Then this one," Oliver pointed to the next leaf in the bundle and continued explaining the various dangers and the best ways to recognize and avoid all the dangerous plants on the island.

Felicity listened, but her mind was only half on the lesson. The other half was busy thinking about Oliver's admission. He needed her. It was a small victory in the battle to show Oliver his inner hero, but the war was far from over.

Besides, Felicity liked knowing that she was important to him.

* * *

_Please review!_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Thanks for everyone who is still reading and reviewing, and welcome to all the new readers! Please make your opinions heard - I love getting reviews and PMs._

_I haven't done this much with this story yet, but I want you all to know that I am open to ideas of scenes you would like to see, etc. I can't promise anything if it won't fit in the plot, but I'll do my best!_

_As always, __**Maverick41**__ is the perfect beta for this story and without his help, this fic would not be nearly as good as it is._

_Enjoy =)._

* * *

Her master plan had changed.

She couldn't quite put her finger on when it had happened, but it was sometime after their conversations in and out of the ravine. It had been two days since they had shared those moments of honesty, and Felicity had found herself growing closer and closer to Oliver.

And that was what had caused her plan to shift, so subtly that she barely noticed, until showing Oliver his innate goodness was only a side-goal.

She wanted to help Oliver come to terms with the fact that he did deserve love.

And if he finally snapped out of his idiotic stubbornness and accepted the love she was offering him, she wouldn't complain.

It was completely out of character for her to be forward in a relationship (not that they were in a relationship) but the insights he had shared had proved that he was harbouring feelings for her. She just hoped that they were romantic, like hers were. All she had to do was make him come to terms with his emotions - no easy task.

Felicity Smoak wasn't one to back down from a challenge.

…

"Morning, Felicity," Oliver greeted her as he walked back into camp, a sack full of edible berries slung over his shoulder. "Where's Digg?" There was no sign of the other man.

"Went for a run while you were out doing...well, whatever it is that you were doing." She looked pointedly at him and he could see the resentment in her eyes that she was stuck there while both he and Digg were free to roam the island.

"Just found some fresh fruit for breakfast," he said lightly, tossing her the bag. "How's the ankle?"

"Only slightly sore." She opened the bag and pulled out a plump blackberry which she held at eye-level, examining it carefully. Then, the tip of her tongue darted out from between parted lips and met the berry for a brief second, licking a drop of the dark juice that was about to run down her fingers.

Oliver found it difficult to breathe.

Popping the berry in her mouth, her tongue reappeared to caress her lips in a sensual movement that made Oliver's mouth become dry. He had to look away before he lost all remnants of his self-control.

"That's delicious," she sighed. "Thank you."

"Uh huh." Oliver's brain refused to function and his reply was a strangled gasp.

"Anyway, I think I'm feeling good enough to try some real training with you today." The words were delivered hopefully and almost sounded like a question.

He knew that the last two days of limited mobility had been difficult for her - there were only so many dangerous plants he could teach her before he ran out of material. And she was a fast study, so it didn't take very long to get through everything he could think of.

"And I'm _really_ sick of slapping water."

Grinning, he decided that it was safe to look at her again now that his breathing was normal and his heart rate had calmed down. It was a mistake. While he had been intently studying the ground, she had let her hair down out of its usual ponytail and was now combing through it with her fingers. The long waves framed her face and softened her features, reminding him again just how attractive his traitorous hormones found her.

"Yeah," he agreed absent-mindedly, trying but failing to tear his gaze from her so he could retreat behind his barriers.

"Really?" her face brightened and a smile lit up her eyes.

"Yeah." Inside, Oliver was cursing his inability to form coherent sentences, but outwardly, he kept a pleasant smile on his face and hoped that none of his inner turmoil showed.

"Great." Standing up, she started towards him with only a slight limp. Knowing Felicity, she was probably in a bit of pain, but she refused to show it just in case he changed his mind.

"So, where's your bow?" She was now standing in front of him, her expression expectant. The distance between them felt too large to Oliver, so he took an involuntary step forward until she was only inches away. The urge to wrap his arms around her and finally defuse the sexual tension between them nearly overwhelmed Oliver.

"I'll...I'll go get it," he finally said, taking a step back and breaking the moment. "Wait over there." He accompanied his words with a vague gesture towards the forest and turned around before he could see her reaction. He just needed a moment to recover.

His bow was leaning on a crate inside the shelter, the arrows in his makeshift quiver next to it. With a gentle reverence, he picked it up and turned it over slowly in his hands, marveling again at how such a simple design could produce such powerful results.

The smooth wood against his skin was familiar, comforting. With his bow, Oliver felt secure and confident, almost like he was at peace with himself. Though he knew it was simply an illusion, he always appreciated the feeling.

Felicity made him feel at peace with himself too.

The thought came out of nowhere, surprising Oliver. Immediately, he tried to dismiss it, discredit it, but it refused to leave him alone. There was too much truth in it for him to deny it outright, whether or not he wanted to believe it.

"How long does it take to get a bow?"

Spinning around, Oliver saw Felicity standing at the entryway, her hands on her hips and an amused smile turning up the corners of her mouth. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough. You really like that bow, don't you?"

"I can always trust it to be there for me, to get me out of whatever situation I find myself in," Oliver responded, grabbing the arrows and walking towards her. "It's almost like a good friend."

"More like a girlfriend, the way you were looking at it," Felicity muttered, following him towards the trees.

He had no response to that, but he did chuckle quietly to himself and only partly at her comment. The other part was because of her - no matter the situation, she could always somehow brighten his mood.

"Okay," Oliver stopped at the edge of the forest and dropped the arrows and the bow onto the grass, "stance. You want to stand sideways, feet shoulder width apart, so that you are in line with your target." He demonstrated, angling his body so that his left shoulder was pointing towards the forest.

"Seems easy enough." She copied his stance in front of him.

"It seems easy now, but wait until we add the bow. Then you'll be tempted to twist your body to face your target and that'll throw off your aim." Stooping, Oliver picked up the bow and one arrow, leaving the rest on the ground for now. "Next, we add in the bow and a bracer, to save your skin." Giving her the bracer, he watched as she fastened it onto her right forearm before handing her the bow. "Hold it in your left hand right here," standing behind her, he guided her hand to the correct position," and use your right hand to nock the arrow like this," he placed his hand over hers to help her with the unfamiliar movement until the arrow was securely in place.

A gentle breeze blew strands of her blonde hair back against him, tickling his neck. Felicity shifted slightly against him and he suddenly realized that she was pressed against him and his arms were wrapped around her body.

Desire, barely contained earlier, reawakened inside him as she shifted again in his embrace, nearly eliciting a low moan from him.

"And now, I just pull, right? That does seem like the logical next step as the arrow's there and really, what else would I do with a bow and arrow at this point? I guess I could always just let it fall, but…"

She was rambling - a sure sign that she was as flustered and aware of their position as he was.

"Felicity." His voice was deeper than usual as he said her name. "I mean, yes," he forced himself to focus. "I'll help this time, just practice your aiming."

"Yep." Together, they pulled the string of the bow back, Oliver somehow moving even closer to her to make the movement easier. She felt good against him. It felt so...so right. "Release on three," he whispered in her ear, feeling her shiver at his words. His mind was not at all on the archery lesson. "One," he breathed in her scent, "two," against his best intentions, he rested the side of his face against her hair, "three." The arrow sprang from the bow and shot through the air, striking a tree with a loud thwack that was echoed by the sound of the bowstring against the bracer on Felicity's arm. Oliver barely heard the noise.

"It worked," Felicity gasped excitedly, the bow falling from her hands as she turned in his arms to face him and threw her arms around his neck. The movement surprised him and he found himself losing his balance and falling forwards, towards Felicity.

There was no time to think.

Oliver's training took over and he pulled Felicity against his chest and turned them so that she would land on top of him and wouldn't feel the full force of the impact. The air left his lungs in a grunt as he hit the ground, Felicity's soft curves pressing against him from above. Her startled eyes were only inches away from his.

Oliver laughed. He couldn't help himself. Felicity joined in and he could feel her laugh against his rib cage. The movement intrigued him and distracted him, his humour vanishing to be replaced by a ravenous need for the woman lying on top of him, looking disheveled, happy and absolutely beautiful.

"Felicity." Her name rolled off his tongue, sensuous and filled with desire. Her laughter died and her eyes darkened in response to his tone.

In one fast move, Oliver pushed himself off the ground and rolled over so that she was lying on the grass and he was suspended inches above her. Her hair fanned out around her head, the blonde strands contrasting against the green grass.

_This is a bad idea,_ a small voice in Oliver's head warned him. He almost listened to it, almost pushed himself up, but then her lips parted and a small breath escaped, warm against his face.

That did it.

With a soft growl, Oliver lowered his lips to hers in a light caress, almost teasing. He didn't want to rush the moment, no matter how much he wanted to deepen the kiss. She responded eagerly, nearly undoing all his self-control as her body strained up to meet his. Her lips were inviting, begging him to let go of his barriers and kiss her like he meant it. He didn't last long and soon his lips were pressed against hers, desperately soaking up every sensation until he ran out of breath and had to pull away, panting.

"Wow," Felicity breathed, her eyes wide and her breathing as uneven as his. "Just...wow."

"I'm sorry," Oliver panted, rolling off her to lie on the grass to try and calm his racing heart. "I shouldn't have…"

"Don't say that," Felicity whispered next to him. "Please don't."

Oliver fell silent, his mind churning with confusion, regret, and desire. He had to get away. In one quick movement, he pushed himself up off the ground and disappeared deep into the forest, trying to leave the mess of feelings behind him.

He shouldn't have kissed her.

…

Felicity lay there, stunned.

Her mouth still tingled from the touch of Oliver's lips against hers and her breathing hadn't yet normalized.

Her hastily implemented plan had worked better than she had ever expected. Seduction was hardly her forte, but the little efforts she had made to attract Oliver's attention and interest had succeeded.

His gaze, filled with desire, had been fixated on her while she had eaten the berry that morning. During archery practice, he couldn't have helped but be aware of her, especially when she turned to hug him, excited over her success.

And then he had kissed her. The most amazing, passionate kiss she had ever shared with someone.

But then, Oliver had shut down again and ruined the moment with his talk of regret, with his apology for the kiss.

_Did he not enjoy kissing me? _the thought made Felicity cringe. She knew that her plan would show her feelings and would leave her vulnerable, but she hadn't realized how much this kind of rejection would sting. It felt like a repeat of when Oliver had told her that he didn't need her.

However, she steeled herself against the pain and insecurities and recommitted herself to her goal. She was doing this for Oliver, not for herself. And she wasn't going to give up that easily.

…

Oliver sprinted through the forest, trying to outrun his fear and regret. It seemed an impossible feat, but he didn't stop. Couldn't stop.

He had kissed her. Not only kissed her, but had kissed her passionately, awakening desires that had been dormant for a long time.

It had been a stupid decision.

He had ruined everything. How could he go back and look Felicity in the eyes, knowing that he wasn't strong enough to stay away from her for her own protection?

There was a persistent part of him that remembered the feel of her lips, eagerly moving against his, that wondered if what he had done was so awful. But, then the damaged part of him stepped in and assured him that any hopes of something between him and Felicity would only end up hurting her. He was Oliver Queen, and that's what Oliver Queen did best - hurt the people he loved.

He ran faster.

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_Please review!_


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: There's only like three weeks left until Season 3! Can you tell that I'm a little excited for the Olicity moments? _

_One note: I did change the rating to 'T' just because I thought that it was probably better to be safe. Nothing is going to change in my style or writing, although this chapter is a little more intense than usual._

_Also, thanks again __**Maverick41**__ for the wonderful help and edits._

_Anyway, enjoy this next chapter =)._

* * *

She hadn't seen Oliver for a couple hours, not since he had run off after kissing her so passionately.

Needless to say, she was hurt, disappointed, and a little angry. But still committed to her plan, no matter what happens to her tender emotions in the process.

"Are you sure everything's okay, Felicity?" Diggle asked. He had been regarding her worriedly ever since he had returned from his long run around the island only to find her staring blankly into the forest.

"Yeah," she lied, fully aware that her tone was hollow and not at all believable.

"Sure," Digg agreed placatingly. "What did Oliver do this time?"

Tears filled Felicity's eyes and threatened to spill over, but she sniffed loudly and wiped them away before they could escape. "What he always does," she finally mumbled, her shoulders crumpling under the weight of her emotions.

"Run away?"

She nodded silently, her mouth set in a frown.

A strong arm settled comfortingly around her shoulders. "You know he didn't mean it, right? Oliver is...he's just got this weird sense of egotism where he thinks everything is his fault. He hasn't come out and said it, but I've see the pain he tries to hide. I know it's there - I've experienced more loss than one person ever should as well. He cares about you, Felicity, so he's trying to drive you away, to keep you safe. He doesn't want you to be another casualty."

Logically, what Digg said made sense. But emotionally, she couldn't internalize his advice and heal the wounds that Oliver had reopened.

"I need to talk to him." She pushed away from Digg and stood up, wiping her damp eyes again with the back of her hand. "Something needs to change."

…

Oliver sprawled comfortably in the branches, the high altitude of his chosen tree giving him a view of the whole island and the surrounding ocean. It was beautiful, but he didn't even see it. He was too busy beating himself up over what had happened earlier - he had kissed Felicity.

He groaned and punched at the branch closest to him, ignoring the slight ache in his hand that told him that that wasn't the first time he had lashed out against the poor tree.

He didn't know what to think.

On one hand, the kiss had been amazing. Passionate. Tender. Irresistible. Though he tried, Oliver couldn't find the words to describe how incredible it had been to finally kiss her the way he had always wanted to. But, when he realized what he had done, he had left without so much as an explanation. It was either his biggest success or his biggest regret - he couldn't decide which.

The look in her eyes haunted him. Pleasure and desire had turned to hurt in the span of an instant. And again, it had been him that had caused that pain in her beautiful eyes.

The kiss was a mistake. The only problem was that Oliver wanted to make that mistake again, and that was a dangerous type of hunger. Felicity deserved better than someone so damaged. She deserved better than to be in a constant state of fear, for her heart as well as her life. She deserved better than a man who wasn't even capable of taking care of himself, much less another human being.

She deserved better than him.

…

"I can see you, Oliver. We need to talk." The angry voice shook Oliver out of his remorseful, trancelike state and startled him enough that he lost his precarious balance and found himself falling out of the tree.

His training took over and he immediately grabbed at the branches nearest him as the ground rushed towards him, trying to slow his fall without breaking a limb from an abrupt halt.

He succeeded slightly - he hit the ground hard, face-first, but nothing felt broken. Heavily bruised, but not broken.

There was a funny taste in his mouth - he realized that his mouth was partially ajar against the foliage and dirt of the forest floor. The foul taste was probably a mixture of leaves, dirt, and possibly blood if he had bit his own tongue. With a groan, he raised his head slightly and licked his lips, then swallowed convulsively in an attempt to get rid of the foul mixture of flavours as his mouth was too dry to make spitting it out an option.

"Oliver, are you okay? Say something. Please," Felicity's frantic voice distracted him from his thoughts. He realized that she was kneeling next to him, her hands pushing against his side, trying to get him to turn over.

"I'm fine," he groaned, finally rolling over onto his back. As he did so, he noticed a small plant that he had flattened and his heart plummeted even lower than it had in his self-incrimination after kissing Felicity.

"Felicity?" he gasped, his hand going to his lips as he sat up slowly.

She ignored him. "I just don't get your thing with heights," she said, nervously glancing up at the tree he had fallen from. "But that's not what I'm here to talk to you about." She folded her legs underneath her as she sat down beside him.

"Felicity, I-" Oliver's voice wobbled as he glanced down at his fingers and noticed that they were stained black after touching his mouth.

"No, Oliver," Felicity's tone was sharp. "I don't want more excuses or apologies. I just want things to be easy. Simple. Please." The vulnerability of her last word pulled at him, made him want to reassure her that he cared about her and that everything was going to be okay.

He couldn't do that, though.

"Felicity," he gasped. The world swam before his eyes, distorting into almost unrecognizable shapes and colours.

"And I just don't understand. I mean," she waved her hands around, the motion blurring in Oliver's vision, "you kissed me, and it was amazing. Like, _really_ amazing, but then you just ran off, like you always do." There was a lot of pain in her voice, pain that beat him up inside. "And I've been really patient with everything, but I deserve more."

"Felicity," he choked out again, his vision worsening with each passing word. "Lis...listen."

"Oliver?" There was a hint of concern in Felicity's voice now, but he continued forward.

"The…the…b-" Oliver's voice trailed off as he squinted in bewilderment at Tommy standing in front of him right where Felicity had been sitting only moments earlier.

"Why did you do it?" Tommy yelled at him, his old friend's face scarlet with fury. "Why'd you take everything I'd ever had and then leave me to die?"

Oliver tried to stand, but his legs felt numb, unable to move. "Tommy, I didn't…" he tried to explain, but the words sounded hollow even to his own ears.

"I always knew that the dark would claim you eventually," Tommy spat derisively. "Just never thought you'd unleash it on your friends. Your family."

He was right – Oliver felt it down to his core. His inner demons had destroyed everything – the only thing left was him.

Tommy's shape shifted, morphing into a smaller frame, until Felicity stood in front of him once again, her eyes looking frightened. "Why did you bring me here?" she demanded, her voice rough with tears. She looked around, the terrified look intensifying. "What are you going to do to me?"

Shadows materialized around her, as if in response to her words - all of them ghosts from Oliver's past. They were faceless, but somehow Oliver knew them. Fyers. Slade. Yao Fei. Shado. Sara. Everyone he had ever killed or failed to protect, both on the island and in Starling City.

"Oliver?" Felicity's shaky voice penetrated his tormented thoughts. "Oliver, help me!" Her eyes were begging him, full of fear mingled with trust. Trust that he would save her.

He tried to move, but his feet were glued to the ground.

The shapes converged on Felicity. "Oliver!" she screamed as the lead shadow reached her.

"Felicity," he tried to call out, but her name died on his frozen lips.

The trust in her eyes flickered, then was gone, replaced by cold, abject terror.

Desperately, Oliver tried to run, to get to her, but it was impossible.

Her scream rang out through the forest, shrill and full of pain.

He closed his eyes and broke down.

...

Felicity pressed her back against a tree, her heart pounding and her head swimming. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Leave her alone," Oliver's growl echoed through the forest. "She's innocent."

This was the first time that Felicity had ever been this afraid. Not scared of him; even in his state, she knew that he would never hurt her. No, she was afraid for him.

After Oliver had first started to look like he was losing it, babbling on about Tommy and how everything was his fault, she had taken a closer look at the black juice staining his lips. The plant hadn't been difficult to find; the squished, but shiny black berries had confirmed her suspicions.

_Atropa belladonna._ Deadly poison. Hallucinogenic effects.

"Noooo!" the anguished cry startled Felicity as Oliver fell to the ground, thrashing and screaming in pained anger.

Every muscle in Felicity's body screamed at her to do something, but she was at a loss. She couldn't leave him alone with his hallucinations - he could run off a cliff and kill himself. However, if the plant was as dangerous as Oliver had claimed, she had to get Digg and the island herbs immediately, if he was to have any chance of survival.

His flailing limbs sent up showers of dirt. She couldn't go to him - she had already discovered that he couldn't hear or respond to her in his state, and going near him was liable to get her injured accidentally.

"Please, no," Oliver whimpered weakly, his shoulders sagging. "Not her."

The words hit Felicity hard. She didn't know who he meant, but she could guess. Laurel. Thea. Or maybe, possibly, even herself. But, whoever it was and whatever was happening, it was clearly taking its toll on Oliver.

All of a sudden, there was an eerie silence. She forced herself to look and saw Oliver lying, face up on the ground, his chest not moving.

The poison.

"Oliver," she screamed, forgetting her previous apprehension while she ran to him and tried desperately to see signs of life - breathing, a heartbeat, anything. She found both, but they were weak. Scarily so.

"Diggle," she yelled desperately, pushing herself to her feet and starting off towards camp. Adrenaline and fear gave her energy until she was full out sprinting, screaming Digg's name as she ran until her voice was hoarse.

Oliver was dying.

…

Felicity lay in front of him on the ground, her skin pale and her eyes dull. Her limbs were arranged unnaturally against the leaves carpeting the forest floor.

She wasn't breathing.

Oliver sat, a couple feet away, with his knees to his chest. He rocked himself back and forth, hoping the motion would soothe the fire in his body - both physical and emotional.

They had killed her.

It was his fault. All his fault. He had put her in danger, had practically painted the target on her back. And now, now she had paid the price.

That was the price of his love - pain and death. Because he had loved her, and now it was too late to use that love to somehow protect her against the darkness.

Too late.

* * *

_Okay, I know this was a little confusing and intense, but I promise it will serve a purpose. I'm not just making drama for drama's sake; this is how I feel like their relationship would progress under the circumstances. It will all work out!_

_Please review!_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Alright, I'm happy to bring you the next chapter on time for a change! I hope you all enjoy it =)._

_As always, I can't post this chapter without thanking __**Maverick41**__ for the wonderful edits on this chapter._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Her lungs burned with exertion, but she barely noticed the pain. Her mostly-healed ankle, too, started twinging, sending pangs of discomfort up her body with every step she took. However, stopping wasn't a choice. It never was, and never would be.

Oliver was dying.

Every second she wasted getting to Diggle and the herbs was another second the poison could had to work through Oliver's system until it consumed him completely. There was no time.

Finally, Felicity burst into camp, looking wildly around. "Digg," she screamed desperately, even as she ran to the shelter and started frantically searching for the packet where Oliver kept the herbs. "Where is it?" she sobbed under her breath, feeling the hot tears start to build up in her eyes.

"Felicity," Diggle raced in just then, his face a mask of concern. "What's going on? Where's Oliver?"

"The herbs," she ignored his questions and focused on Oliver's only chance at survival. "Where are they?"

It only took Diggle a couple of seconds to locate the precious packet and hand it to Felicity. "You need to calm down," he told her quietly, trying to soothe her. "You're going into shock."

She didn't hear him. The second the packet was safely cradled in her hands, she tried to edge past her friend and out of the shelter, but he blocked her way.

"You're gonna hurt yourself, Felicity," Diggle cautioned. "What's going on?"

His calm demeanor made her irrationally angry. "It's Oliver," she screamed, the angry tears trailing down her cheeks now. "He's dying."

Immediately, Digg tensed up, thoughts of comforting her forgotten. "Where?"

"The forest. By his favourite tree," she forced out. "Let me go!" Again, she tried to get past him and get to Oliver, but Digg still refused to let her past.

"I'll be faster." He pulled the herbs from her hands, despite her best efforts to keep her grip on them. Logically, she knew that he was right - he could run significantly faster than she could, and both of them knew the location of Oliver's favourite vantage point well. However, the storm of emotions swirling inside Felicity were trying to convince her that trusting someone else, even someone like Diggle, with Oliver's life was a bad idea.

It was her fault that he had fallen from the tree, her fault that he had swallowed the herbs, her fault that he was lying alone in the forest, slowly giving in to the effects of the poison.

She had to save him.

With the packet of herbs already in his possession, Diggle took off towards the spot she had indicated. Despite the complaints from her body, she followed, running a little more slowly than she had before as he fatigued muscles refused to function like she wanted.

She just hoped that she wasn't too late.

…

Heat. Pain. Burning.

These sensations were currently running throughout Oliver's body, giving him the impression that he was on fire, both inside and out.

It wasn't entirely unpleasant. In fact, he almost welcomed the fiery sensation - it felt like a penance for the many times he had been the cause of pain in other people's lives.

Felicity's face rose to his mind amidst the agony.

For a second, the sight of her soothed him - her easy smile, her sparkling eyes, her soft hair. But then, it all changed as he remembered that she was now dead, murdered in front of him by the shadows from his past.

The fire inside him intensified, burning up his soul as well as his flesh.

...

Diggle was already kneeling beside Oliver's still figure, seemingly checking for vital signs, when Felicity arrived, panting for breath and terrified that she was too late.

"He's burning up," Diggle mumbled, barely even acknowledging her arrival. "We have to get him to swallow some herbs."

Dropping to her knees beside Oliver, she forced his mouth open, trying not to notice how hot his skin was against her trembling hands.

Diggle dropped a fair amount of the dried herbs in and Felicity allowed Oliver to close his lips. "How do we make him swallow?" she asked, hardly even daring to breathe.

Diggle sighed sadly. "We can try rubbing his throat and hope that he manages to swallow without choking. I don't think the herbs should block his airway, but it is a risk."

"Do we have any alternatives?" she asked, even though she knew the answer before Diggle shook his head, confirming her suspicions.

Forcing herself not to mess up in her haste, she gently stroked Oliver's throat. When that wasn't producing results, she tried massaging it. Still nothing. "Please," she begged Oliver, her voice so quiet that she could barely hear her own words.

Finally, just as she was about to give up, he swallowed convulsively. Next to her, Diggle exhaled the breath that he had been holding.

"What now?" Felicity asked, looking to her friend for reassurance that everything was going to be okay.

His answer was grim. "We hope."

"But he's going to get better now, right?" she asked, desperation colouring her tone.

Diggle turned to her, and the fear in his eyes just served to make her feel even more anxious. "Oliver's a fighter, Felicity, he's been through worse…" He hesitated, then added, "But we're in the middle of nowhere with barely any medical supplies, so you need to be prepared-"

"No," she cut him off, unable to hear what he was trying to tell her. "They have to work." She knew that there was a fresh batch of tears pouring down her face now, but she made no attempt to wipe them away. It wouldn't do any good. "They're the magical herbs that somehow always cure everything."

She felt Diggle's arm settle around her shoulder and pull her against him comfortingly. "I don't want him to die either, Felicity. But the herbs can't fix everything."

She knew what Diggle was trying to do - prepare her for the worst possibility. However, she wasn't emotionally ready to even accept that there was a possibility that he could leave her.

"He's going to be fine," she insisted through her tears, trying to convince herself, but the words sounded hollow.

"The best we can do for him now is get him back to camp and get his temperature down."

There was a very small part of her that appreciated Diggle's level-headedness in this crisis, but there was a bigger part of her that resented his collected demeanor and wished that he would let out some of the negative emotions he must be feeling too.

"I'm going to run back to camp and get something we can use as a sled," he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, "while you watch Oliver."

Felicity nodded silently, afraid that if she tried to talk, she would either burst into sobs or start yelling, and neither would help Oliver.

"I'll be back soon." Diggle stood up and ran off towards camp, leaving Felicity kneeling next to Oliver's still form, hoping against hope that he would somehow pull through this.

For the first couple minutes of her vigil, he didn't move and she felt the need to constantly check if he was breathing.

He then started to convulse violently. One second he was still, the next his back was arched into the air and his arms were flailing, one nearly hitting her before she sprang up and out of the way.

"Diggle," she screamed frantically into the forest, even though she knew that he couldn't possibly be close enough to hear her.

A low, anguished moaning came out of Oliver's throat as he continued thrashing.

"Oliver, Oliver," she babbled frantically, trying to get close to him without getting hit so that she could calm him down, "Stop. Please, stop." She managed to lay a hand on his chest. One of his arms grazed her shoulder with a stinging blow, but she barely noticed the sensation in her desperation to get Oliver to stop. Somehow she managed to end up with her arms wrapped around his torso and her head pressed to his chest, forcing him back down to the ground and easing his tension.

"Felicity," her name escaped from Oliver's lips in an anguished, haunting whisper, and then he collapsed under her and lay still.

_He's dead._

Immediately, Felicity rejected the horrible thought when she felt Oliver's diaphragm move underneath her, his lungs filling with air.

Carefully, she moved off of him and rested on her heels on the ground, letting out a relieved breath to see that his breathing was significantly stronger than it had been before.

Now all she could do was wait for Diggle.

…

"No. This can't be happening." Felicity pushed her palms to her head and closed her eyes, feeling the tears start to well up again.

"I'm sorry, Felicity," Diggle reached out to touch her reassuringly, but she stepped away. "There's nothing more we can do."

She didn't register his words. Her brain was still trying to process what he had told her earlier, shortly after they had reached their camp: Oliver was likely in a coma. And Felicity had seen enough TV shows to know that people only woke up from comas in rare cases or if they were the romantic leads. In real life, it was nowhere near as likely.

"Felicity…" Diggle tried again.

"Just…" Felicity struggled not to lash out at her friend, working hard to keep her tense voice quiet. "Just give me some time. With Oliver. Alone."

"I care about him, too, Felicity," Diggle added softly, but she could tell that he wasn't upset at her. "Call me if anything changes." He walked off - Felicity didn't pay attention to where.

Oliver was lying on the cot inside the shelter, a damp cloth on his forehead. They had managed to bring his temperature down by dabbing him with cool water.

Felicity pulled up a crate next to him and sat on it. It felt natural to slip her hand in his - she didn't realize she had done it.

"Please don't do this," she whispered. "Please don't leave me. I mean, I know you don't want to talk about that kiss, but I think dying to avoid that conversation might be a little extreme." She chuckled sadly through the tears that were starting to stream down her cheeks. Somewhere, she had heard that talking to people in comas helped them somehow; they could hear, supposedly.

"I'm serious, though, Oliver," she continued. "Live, for me." Biting her lip, she admitted, "I've never been kissed like that before. Live so we can do it again. But mostly," she squeezed his hand and tried to speak around the lump in her throat, "live because I love you. I mean, we both do," she tried to correct herself, realizing that if he did wake up, she would have a lot of explaining to do. "Me and Diggle. As friends, not some really creepy love triangle." She closed her eyes, frustrated with her big mouth. "And now is the time where you'd smile at me and say my name. I've never missed hearing that so much."

With her free hand, she wiped the tears from her cheeks "When you wake up, we're going to pretend that this whole conversation didn't happen, okay?"  
She lost track of time, alternating between telling Oliver funny stories and begging him to come back to her.

Diggle finally returned to find her head resting on Oliver's chest, her eyes closed and her breathing even. Her hand was still resting in Oliver's as she slept. He smiled sadly and turned to leave, deciding not to disturb them.

* * *

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